


Light at the End of the Tunnel

by niennavalier



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 2024!Barry, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Oculus!Len, Oculus!Snart, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 19:40:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11721177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niennavalier/pseuds/niennavalier
Summary: Len finds himself returned to Central City after being trapped in the Timestream. After realizing it's been nine years since he's seen his city - the year 2024 - he intends to make amends. Especially with Barry. But things aren't as he last left them. Far from it.





	Light at the End of the Tunnel

**Author's Note:**

> This is a long overdue prompt from @quirkyidealist over on Tumblr: "Your smile is not as bright as it used to be". Honestly, this should've been done a long time ago, but it went through about 4 complete rewrites and then ended up longer than I originally meant it to be. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> (Also a quick note: Infantino Street didn't happen in this verse, and 2024 Barry knows who Savitar is.)

    2024 or not, Len had been glad to be back home. After getting dropped anytime, everywhere by the Timestream to clean up the aberrations the Legends invariably left in their wake, the familiar sight of home was like a balm to wounds left by the Oculus which he’d never been allowed to let heal. Just snatched up by whatever temporal force apparently existed in the universe because the Legends, for the life of them, couldn’t go without leaving messes in their wake. All before he’d even had the chance to come to terms with what he’d done. He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one, but it was a distraction at the very least - less time for him to wonder if he’d be anywhere  _ but _ trapped in temporal limbo.

    But now he was home. Even if it was home nine years in the future. A future where both Mick and Lisa were off on the Waverider (not ideal, if Len could’ve had a say, which he obviously didn’t). But home all the same, somewhere he could have a chance to pick up the broken pieces of his life he’d left behind.

    And that started with Barry. With the fact he’d sworn to keep his word and come home, even though he never would’ve guessed just how quickly shit could go sideways (even before getting sucked into the goddamned Timestream). And hopefully he could get the chance to make up for broken promises. Perhaps in very desirable fashion, if he was lucky.

    What he ended up encountering was far from that, however.

    STAR Labs silent and abandoned, altogether too much like 2046 Star City for Len’s comfort. Enough to give him chills, despite how Barry’s presence had made this place a second home, even to a man who had never known even one. But now dark and dead, a shadow beginning to round the corner.

    “Barry?” he asked, met with an emptiness that looked so wrong in the green eyes he recalled so vividly.

    “Great,” Barry chuckled, long hair falling in his face, a bitter twist to his smirk - the look didn’t belong there, Len knew as much. “The Speedforce is getting me to see things again. Just what I need.” Len honestly didn’t know what to make of that. Speedforce, seeing things...dread began to churn in his gut. What the hell had happened?

    “Think there’s something I’m missing here, Scarlet.”

    A scoff. “It didn’t work then, not when Len died, not with Iris either. It’s not gonna work now.”

    Oh. Shit, Len never should’ve left. Not with what that decision seemed to do to the kid.

    “Barry, frankly, I don’t know what you mean by that, but,” Len let his voice drop to something gentler, more genuine as he stepped closer, “I’m sorry for that. You said I wouldn’t regret jumping on the Waverider in 2015, but I do regret not being here when you needed me. I should’ve been.”

    Barry’s eyes widened, the green conveying a deep hurt through the shimmer of unshed tears. “No...you’re not…”

    Len lifted his hands to Barry’s cheeks. “It’s me, Barry. I’m here.” He leaned forward, their foreheads touching as Barry’s breath caught. “Please believe me when I say I never meant to break the promise I made to you. You have no reason to trust me, but I swear I always meant to come back to you.”

    “...Len?” He heard the tears in Barry’s voice before he ever felt them run down his cheeks. “You’re...I...how?”

    He shook his head mutely. The truth was, Len didn’t quite know - didn’t have a damn clue, really. He was no theoretical physicist; leave that to Raymond and the Professor. What did the logistics matter anyway when he could finally have Barry so close again? “Not sure, but suffice to say I’m here now, and I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

    Without another word, Barry pulled him into a tight hug, sobbing into his shoulder; Len couldn’t deny how wet his own eyes had become, settling into and returning Barry’s embrace.

    For the first time in far too long, things finally began to feel right again.

* * *

    It should’ve been no surprise the feeling couldn’t last long. That night had been fine, the two of them falling into bed at an old safe house of Len’s - mercifully kept in decent shape, likely thanks to Mick and Lisa - never leaving each other’s side, as if this would all disappear should they lose physical contact. Given the volatile nature of the Timestream, Len wasn’t ruling that out.

    Nonetheless, they’d made it through the night before Len felt that all-too-familiar sense of wrong return. Hearing Barry tell the story of what he’d missed - Savitar killing Iris and turning out to be a future version of Barry all along - Len understood what he felt, knowing how he himself would’ve reacted had that been Lisa instead of Iris. Knowing how he  _ had _ reacted to the guilt over the lessons his father had taught to her that Len hadn’t been able to stop. It didn’t take long for the story and the guilt to affect Barry, the kid growing more withdrawn, shying away from touch, jarring with memories that felt barely over a year old for Len. Memories of the last night they’d spent together, Barry clinging tight and kissing him deeply, snuggling close in bed and refusing to let go until the last second.

    All jarring not because Barry had withdrawn - the kid knew more than his fair share of trauma - but because of how it’d killed the light in his eyes, the desire to be a hero that Len had always assumed to be a constant, leaving not even a pretense of trying.

    It was what made Len wonder if the Timestream had sent him for a reason, to fix an aberration. If  _ Barry _ was the aberration. Because the universe needed a Flash, but perhaps Barry was too lost in grief to do anything about it.

    Those suspicions just became more likely as news broke that Sam Scudder and Rosa Dillon had escaped Iron Heights, were probably about ready to begin terrorising the streets as they spoke. All while Barry did nothing - just looked at the screen and scoffed as he walked away. Not a hero anymore, like he’d said in his retelling, leaving the world saving to someone else, if there was someone else. The thought of that was enough to push Len to consider dealing with them himself, not a fan of those two walking the streets of his city. Except that wasn’t his place, no matter how he would’ve loved to see the look on Scudder’s smug face as he iced him. His place was with Barry. He’d seen what his leaving had ultimately done, and he wasn’t gonna make that mistake again. Not that he wouldn’t have taken Mick’s place at the Oculus, but he could’ve tried harder to find another way, or fought the Timestream itself until it let him go back home to rescue Barry.  _ That _ was his focus now. Scudder and Rosa were thieves first and killers second, last he’d heard anyway; with any luck there wouldn’t be immediate collateral damage to weigh on either of their minds.

    “Scarlet,” Len followed Barry to the kitchen, watching the kid pace his way around the island, “what’s wrong?”

    The speedster paused, leaning heavily into the counter. “Nothing.”

    “Really? Coulda fooled me.” Len sauntered over, maintaining his feigned ease, always the simplest front for him to put forward.

    “Yeah, well, it’s the truth. Not like things can get any worse anyway. ‘S not like there’s something more wrong now than before.” Another scoff. Another bitter smile. “Guessing you think there  _ is _ something wrong, though.”

    Len’s insides churned the same way they had the night before at seeing that expression, so wrong on Barry’s features. He took his spot at Barry’s side, let his voice soften again with concern he couldn’t keep to himself. He had to get through to Barry somehow, and raw honesty seemed to be the only way. “Your smile isn’t as bright as it used to be.”

    “Guess that’s what happens when you realize you’re not a hero. ‘Cause what kinda hero lets everyone he loves die? First you, then Iris, and Caitlin and Cisco both got hurt all ‘cause of me.” A shake of his head. “I’m no hero.”

    “Barry…”

    “Not like I deserve having you back either, but guess I’m too selfish to let you go. You’re the hero, Len,” Barry’s voice broke there, just for a moment, and even then he didn’t fully recover from it, “You deserve better than just another disaster waiting to happen.”

    “And you realize the only reason I resemble anything close to a hero is ‘cause of you right? Barry,” he reached for the kid’s cheek, cupping it gently, swallowing the small stab of hurt when Barry flinched, even if he didn’t pull away, “all the things that happened aren’t your fault. You might have...catalyzed my decision to go on that mission, but everything that happened there was by my own decision. Nothing you should blame yourself for. Wouldn’t be surprised if Miss West thought the same. Cisco and Dr. Snow, too.”

    “Doesn’t change what happened.”

    “It doesn’t.” No matter how Len wished he could do something about that. Change the past,  if not for the Timestream being irritatingly temperamental about things like that. “Doesn’t make you any less of a hero, either.”

    “Funny, knowing a future me was the one who made so much of this happen.” There wasn’t even acid left in Barry’s words. Just defeat. And that was somehow even worse. This emptiness - Len hated it.

    “Different you, Barry. Doesn’t make this you not a good guy. It’s the thing that annoyed me about you first and endeared me to you later. You have the capacity to be bad, but despite that, you’re unfailingly, inherently good. Never changed.” Len allowed himself a small smile, remembering the first time he’d heard the words now ready on his tongue. “There’s good in you, Barry.”

    Even Barry laughed a little at that, the sound wet as he permitted himself to lean into Len’s touch. His breath shook on its way out as he closed his eyes, a tear slipping onto his cheek; his voice wasn’t much steadier. “God, I’ve missed you, Len.”

    Len could barely keep his own emotions in check as he pulled Barry close, relief flooding his body at how comfortable Barry finally began to feel in his arms. “Missed you, too.” More than Barry even knew, the past few days of feeling so near and so far at the same time bearing the worst kind of ache.

    Another shuddery breath. “I...I dunno if I can be a hero again. Not the way you remember. Not now. People in the city - they keep wondering, but…”

    “Then don’t be. Start somewhere else. While back, I remember this stubborn kid who wouldn’t quit believing in me, not ‘til I was ready to start believing in myself.” There was a tightness in Len’s chest - fondness at the memory. “Think it’s about time I repaid him.”

* * *

    The months that followed went well, even if the going wasn’t always smooth. Len could still see the way guilt sat on Barry’s shoulders, but it was like the weight of it and the darkness it brought seemed to diminish, the light Len had so strongly associated with Barry beginning to resurface.

    And with that came other parts of Barry’s past life. Cisco Ramon bursting into the Labs after Barry had used his powers for the first time in years - a covert test, Barry not comfortable with working in the public eye yet - and dragging a rather domesticated looking Hartley Rathaway in behind him. (Really, Len shouldn’t have been surprised by that one). The all-too-familiar pain was back in Barry’s eyes then, and Len was ready to step in at Barry’s side, give him the reassurances he’d needed from the start. Except that Cisco never gave him the chance, the engineer too overjoyed to finally see his friend again to do anything but initiate a tackling hug. Len was glad to see the hurt wiped so thoroughly from Barry’s face. Even Rathaway seemed happy for them. If not a bit tired, though Cisco  _ had  _ dragged him along at 3 AM. Now _ that  _ was no surprise to Len.

    Over time, more people began trickling back into Barry’s life. Some that Len knew - without seeing it, he knew Barry’s reunion with the good detective had been particularly emotional, holding him in his arms that night as Barry fought tears without success. Then there were the others he’d never officially met - Felicity Smoak was likable enough, though the same couldn’t be said of Oliver Queen. Len could play nice for Barry’s sake, but he didn’t get along with the man any more than he had in 2046. And of course there was the rest of the latest iteration of Team Flash; given time, they were even able to get through to the Dr. Snow still present in Killer Frost. The joy in Barry’s eyes at having his friends and family back was more than worth all the odd jobs Len had been forced to carry out across time. Just seeing that, Len found himself feeling truly happy, too, for the first time in far too long. 

    Some time later, the Legends even showed to give Barry a proper welcome back to this insanity-filled life they all led. Though Len personally revelled in the varied levels of shock on their faces at seeing him alive and well. At least until Mick and Lisa barrelled at him with their own tackling hugs, calling him an asshole and threatening him to never pull that shit again, or else they’d kill him themselves. They’d gone soft, all of them, working with the heroes. And doing more besides. He didn’t miss the looks Lisa and Sara gave each other, or the way Raymond liked to inch closer to Mick at any available moment. To see his sister and best friend find happy endings of their own and still welcome him back like nothing had ever changed - it was all Len could’ve hoped for, even if Mick and Raymond was something he wouldn’t have ever seen coming.

    Although, to be fair, back when this all started, he wouldn’t have seen any of it coming. But it felt right all the same. Finally.

    It took another couple months after that for Len to realize something wasn’t the same after all. His mission. The Timestream. Aberrations. The thought had slipped his mind almost entirely since realizing why he’d been brought here in the first place. He didn’t know why it occurred to him when it did, laying awake in bed, a sleeping Barry at his side. But every time before, the Timestream would take him away when his work was done, send him off toward another time the Legends had invariably altered (to put it lightly). And up to this point, until he was finished, it would pull at him, an invisible cord in his gut, force him to figure out the problem and its solution in nothing short of record time.

    There was no tug in his gut now, no incessant pull of the Timestream. Like it had released him. Gave him one last job and let him stay at Barry’s side, his last mission complete.

    Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to Barry’s forehead before laying down and cuddling close, savoring the feeling of his happy ending.

    He wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> Say hi on [ Tumblr! ](http://niennavalier.tumblr.com/)


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